Hideous Sun Demon’s Party Rock Beauty Pageant @ Mojos Fremantle

Local legends Hideous Sun Demon didn’t disappoint on the first night of their Party Rock Beauty Pageant as the post-punk rockers delivered their signature animated set. Fremantle’s Mojos Bar hosted the event over two nights with 17 local and interstate bands. The first night’s packed line-up featured the likes of Regular Boys, Boat Show, Erasers, Verge Collection, Hideous Sun Demon and Amyl and the Sniffers.

Energy levels picked up early in the night from the likes of Boat Show’s front woman Ali Flintoff delivering a fiery and opinionated set. The strong, female heavy five-piece had the audience in the palm of their hands throughout tracks off their debut album Outstanding Masterpiece. Boat Show’s infectious energy and clear chemistry between the garage band members made their socially aware and direct performance a highlight of the night.

Verge Collection managed to unite the growing crowd with their dreamy nostalgic tracks that blurred lines between avid listeners of their music and an older crowd who were just after a couple of emu exports with the lads. Those enjoying a couple of bevvies in the courtyard were forced inside for the irresistible and scarily relatable Our Place that had the crowd fixed with wide grins whilst pointing erratically to their mates when said lyrics applied. Their 2016 tunes Class of ‘09 and Postcodes are the perfect indie rock soundtrack of coming of age in Perth City, which collectively consisted of high school messing with your self-respect and sharing goon bags in the park with your fake middle-class mates.

A hard act hard to follow, Hideous Sun Demon went above and beyond in delivering. The avid punters waited respectfully at the front of the stage, prepared. Limbs were being stretched and apologies were said in advance for any injuries to be inflicted in the carnage that is a Hideous Sun Demon mosh pit. The first few metres back from the stage for one of their sets is dedicated to shoving, running, and bashing into mates and strangers as their signature psychedelic rock sound reached the eardrums of the masses.

But don’t be alarmed: the same guy who accidentally pushed you a little too hard will also be the first to pick you up and dust you off if you hit the ground. Inside the dark and intimate one-track-in, and this signature pit was in full swing. Converses were lost, disposable cameras snapped away whilst several spectators (most unsuccessfully) had their hand at stage diving.

A crazy set concluded with an open invitation to join the “rock dogs” on stage for a frenzy of adrenaline filled thrashing to top off the night, crowning Hideous Sun Demon the undebated winners of this Rock Beauty Pageant.

St Kilda’s Amyl and the Sniffers took the stage with not one, but four, gloriously maintained mullets to sustain the punk rock vibes for those with any last sheds of energy left to dance into the early hours of the morning.